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Ford Sales Gain 3 Percent in March

After declines in January and February of this year, Ford bucked the trend in March by posting a 3-percent increase over last year with 244,167 vehicles sold. The Ford brand was up 2.6 percent overall, and Lincoln posted a big gain of 31.4 percent this month. So far this year, though, Ford is still lagging behind 2013 year-to-date total by 2.6 percent.

Winner: Ford Fusion, 32,963 Units Sold, Up 8.8 Percent

March 2014 was the best sales month ever for the Ford Fusion midsize sedan nameplate since its debut in 2005. This is good news for Ford, as it added Fusion production capacity last fall to match high demand, then idled production due to an inventory backlog in November. Things seem to be back on track now, as the Fusion’s March sales put it back in the mix with other midsize sedans like the Nissan Altima, Toyota Camry, and Honda Accord in terms of sales this month.

Winner: Ford F-Series, 70,940 Units Sold, Up 5.1 Percent

The Ford F-Series truck lineup posted another month of over 70,000 sales. This has only happened four times in the past seven years, and it’s likely that dealers are stocking more 2014 F-Series inventory to prepare for the launch of the new all-aluminum 2015 Ford F-150 which will require the truck’s factory to shut down for retooling later this year.

Winner: Lincoln MKZ, 4052 Units Sold, Up 71.7 Percent

The Lincoln MKZ is the first of Lincoln’s rejuvenated models, and it continues to lead the brand with its sixth straight month of year-over-year sales gains. This month’s number of 4052 units sold is the best ever month for the MKZ and helped lead the Lincoln brand to a 31.4 percent increase overall. The brand is also up 35.9 percent in year-to-date sales over last year, although its small overall sales volume doesn’t contribute much to Ford’s overall volume.

Loser: Ford Focus, 23,974 Units Sold, Down 3.8 Percent

With a lack of significant changes since its 2012 introduction, it’s no surprise that the Ford Focus compact continues its slow decline with sales down nearly 4 percent this month. It is also lagging behind its year-to-date sales numbers by 16.1 percent compared with last year. Lucky for Ford, a refreshed 2015 Focus recently debuted and should inject some energy back into the nameplate when it goes on sale this fall.

Loser: Ford Taurus, 5689 Units Sold, Down 18.8 Percent

Ford’s full-size sedan is lagging behind in 2014, with its year-to-date sales declining 27.5 percent compared with last year. Part of this could be due to the Fusion’s popularity which may be stealing away sales from the Taurus, and part of this could be due to the raft of more recently updated competitors like the Toyota Avalon and Chevrolet Impala that have been posting big sales increases lately.Source: Ford

US auto sales numbers for March largely beat analysts’ expectations for all major automakers, as the industry emerges from a harsh winter. Shares of automakers rallied on the news, with Ford (F) up over 4.7%

No shock that GM numbers are up, most of these recalls did not take place until late in the month. With that said most people are still unaware of how serious the issue is and that it cost people their lives. With GM's woes getting more national attention next month and the following months will be the ones to watch.

Great sales! I would hardly call the Focus a loser with almost 24k sales (ok, so it lost some compared with last year, but still the sales are great!), I am sure Ford is laughing all the way to the bank!